According to stories in The Bee, the shooting occurred during a marijuana deal gone bad. Hester-Lee was reportedly attempting to sell marijuana at Antelope Crossing Middle School about 8:25 p.m. Aug. 29, 1996, and Garcia sought to take the marijuana without paying for it.

The two fought and Hester-Lee was shot several times in the chest.

Garcia was 19 at the time of the shooting. He was sentenced under the "three strikes" law to 39 years to life in prison, instead of 19 years to life, when a Superior Court judge said that Garcia's convictions as a juvenile counted as strikes under the law.

Garcia had sought to have his juvenile record of assault with a firearm stricken, but the judge said the earlier crimes involved a high degree of callousness.

Garcia, now 35, is incarcerated at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville.

Another teenager, Christopher Henry Deragon, was convicted of first-degree murder in the case for aiding and abetting Garcia. Authorities said Deragon and Hester-Lee were friends, but Deragon set Hester-Lee up to be robbed of marijuana during the drug deal.

Deragon, now 33, was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison and is in San Quentin State Prison.

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Sacto 9-1-1 Q&A

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues. QUESTION: A couple of years ago, a Sacramento tax attorney named Roni Deutch was the target of an investigation by the California Department of Justice. She was accused of bilking clients out of millions and defying a court (Read More)